Improvement in traction-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT lN TRACTlON-WH EELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38.464, dated May 12,1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. R. CAMERON, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Traction-Wheels and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of traction-wheelswherein aseries of movable plates are placed upon the periphery of awheel for the purpose of causing it to hold firmly to the ground, and toprevent slippage while drawing heavy loads.

My improvement consistsin securing a number of feet to the wheel by abolt passing through the center of each, so as toenable them to vibrateor rock from heel to toe upon the surface of the wheel in such a manneras to present the entire face or tread of each foot alternately to theground, before the one immediately preceding it is lifted up. Upon eachof these feet I have formed a heel and toe by turning the rear andforward end upward and outward, which, as they come round in turn, pressinto the ground, whereby I am enabled to draw a heavy load over roughand irregular roads with less slippage and greater ease than by anyother plan yet devised for the same purpose.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand my improvements,I will proceed to describe its construction and operation by referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which A Figure lrepresents aperspective view of my improved traction-wheel. Fig. 2 represents atransverse vertical section of the same.

All the drawings are lettered, and similar letters indicate like partson all the figures.

I construct my wheel in any of the known ways, but prefer to make itdouble-that is, with two hubs, T T, of corresponding size upon the sameshaft H, with spokes Pradiating from each and terminating in separateand distinct rims B B of equal diameter. 1 do this for the purpose ofsecuring a light wheel with a broad surfaceor tread, and to avoidclumsiness in appearance. Around the outside of the rims B B is a deepchannel or groove, in which the feet N N are secured and vibrate. Thesefeet I make of boiler-iron of the requisite thickness to withstand thepressure of the wheel without bending, and are formed by bending squareplates of iron (rather larger than the breadth of the wheel) down at thesides the depth of the channel in the rims B B, and. rounding the partsso bent down as to enable them to rock on the bolts .9 s s s, by whichthey are held in the grooves or channels aforesaid. The edges of theseplates transverse to the line of tread are turned upward and outward soas to project above the plates two inchesor more at the option of theconstructor, for the purposes hereinbefore stated.

The operation of my wheel is as follows: The wheel being secured in aproper frame to the object it is intended to draw, and motion beingtransmitted through the medium of the shaft H, the wheel as it revolvescarries with it the feet N N N on its periphery, which, as they in turncome in contact with the ground, present one of the projections L L,'Fig. 1, when the foot, vibrating upon its pivot S, allows both ends tostrike the ground almost simultaneously, thus keeping the broad surfaceof one or the other of the feet continually in contact with the earth.As the wheel progresses the full tread of each foot is alternatelybearing on the ground before the one immediately preceding it is liftedup, as previously stated, whereby I am enabled to draw greater loadsupon rougher roads with a lighter wheel than any other in present use.

Having thus described my improvement in traction-wheels, what I claimis- 1. The use of vibrating feet N N N upon the periphery of a wheel,when constructed in the manner and for the purposes as herein set forth.

2. Turning up the edges of the plates so as to form a heel and toe,substantially in the manner as hereinbefore stated.

3. The use of a double wheel, in combination with the vibrating feetturned up at their edges in the manner and for the purposes as hereinpreviously stated.

J. R. CAMERON.

Witnesses J. W. ELLs, A. S. NIoHoLsoN.

